From 4pm to 6pm every Monday, five Eureka High School Students make their way to West County Lanes in Ellisville, Mo., to practice and perfect their bowling skills. Last year, Lafayette High School hosted a few bowlers from Eureka who were desperate to play.

This year, the Eureka bowling team is large enough to be on their own. Tournaments begin Oct. 1. The team is coached by Jen and Derek Bader. As beginners, the bowlers start off playing in a Youth Trio league, which prepares them for the larger competitions. The start of the season involves tryouts where the coaches are looking at skill level, experience and the ambiance the player gives off. 

Jonathan Becker, 12, has been bowling for many years.

“My interest came from my mom, she’s a pro bowler,” Becker said. “I also have plans to become a pro bowler in the future.” He spends a lot of his free time at West County Lanes practicing his skills and becoming a better bowler.

At practices, the team works tirelessly on perfecting techniques. They do a variety of different things, such as bowling normal games. Another thing they do is work on hitting the outside two pins. Which is one of the hardest things to do during a game of bowling. 

As the season picks up, the team goes to tournaments on Sundays. At these tournaments, bowlers are matched with another player from an opposing team.

“A group of five people bowl against another group of five people,” Ethan Watts, 11, said. “You get one point for winning against the person you matched up with, and five extra if you win as a team.” 

The sport of bowling isn’t just about rolling a ball and knocking down pins, even though that is the point of the game there are many other things that go into being a great bowler. Players work on their positioning at the end of the lane, the swing and angle of their arm when rolling the ball, making sure the ball goes on the track they want it to. All of these important components go into playing the best game of bowling they can.